Electrify:they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials

Not true. Other Western cars are just as safe as ours. They just don't come with as much sound dampening, sat-navery, bumpin bass, cupholders, huge seats, huge door openings, exterior bling and other douchebag features. Europeans don't place as high a value on comfort while driving as we do, because they don't drive 4 hours a day and are not too fat to fit inside a normal car.

Marcus Aurelius:You said it. 1982 Honda Civics got 50 to 60 MPG on the highway, and close to 50 around town.

My 1975 Civic CVCC gets such good mileage I can't be bothered to keep track. In the 50s? Plus it can take leaded gasoline, for after the apocalypse destroys refineries. Of course, it is a deathtrap, terrifying to drive/ride in, invisible to everyone, gets clowned constantly (groups of drunks try to pick it up and move it so much, I don't park it where I can't watch it), will never get me laid, and only comes in colors you would paint a traffic barrier.

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.